FARUKH SHEHZAD

BAKU, JAN 1: The first baby of 2022 in Azerbaijan was born in Ganja, Report informs citing the Information and Statistics Department of the Health Ministry that the baby is one of the twin boys born in the Ganja perinatal center.

The mother of the twins is from the village of Garagaji, Barda District.

The babies weigh 1 kg 900 grams and 1 kg 600 grams.

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Courtesy report.az

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Brussels, DEC 31: A total of 45 journalists were killed worldwide in 2021, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said on Friday — “one of the lowest death tolls” it has recorded for any year.

The figure tracked closely with a toll of 46 killings of journalists given two weeks ago by another media watchdog, Reporters Without Borders (known by its initials RSF), which also noted it as its lowest-ever since starting its tallies in 1995.

“While this decrease is welcome news, it is small comfort in the face of continued violence,” the Brussels-based IFJ said in statement.

The toll included nine in Afghanistan, the highest number suffered by a single country.

Elsewhere, eight died in Mexico, four in India and three in Pakistan.

The IFJ said the media workers “more often than not are killed for exposing corruption, crime and abuse of power in their communities, cities and countries”.

According to the group’s count, the Asia-Pacific region — which includes Afghanistan — was the deadliest, with 20 killings. Then came the Americas, with 10, Africa, with eight, Europe with six, and the Middle East and Arab countries with just one. It also mentioned the death of two journalists in a “deadly accident” in Iran.

While “the risks associated with armed conflict have reduced in recent years” because fewer journalists were able to report on the ground, “the threats of crime gang and drug cartels’ rule from the slums in Mexico to the streets of European cities in Greece and the Netherlands continue to increase”, it added.

IFJ Secretary General Anthony Bellanger emphasised his organisation’s support for a UN convention for the protection of journalists to “ensure accountability for journalists’ killings”.

The IFJ’s figures differed slightly from those given by RSF, which counted seven journalists killed in Mexico, six in Afghanistan, and four each in Yemen and India.

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ISLAMABAD, DEC 31: The National Incubation Center Islamabad proudly hosts Huawei Cloud Connect launch 2021. The purpose of this event was to address the need of Cloudification for the 4th industrial revolution.

An esteemed panel of profound industry experts joined the event to discuss the challenges and opportunities for start ups with cloudification. The panelists included Shaukat Ali – Managing Partner PSEB, Hank Shao – Managing Director, Huawei Cloud Business, Aiman Khan – CEO, SLOSH AI Solutions, Abdul Rahim Ahmed – Chief Information Officer, Special Technology Zones Authority (STZA). The participants and Panelists were welcomed by Parvez Abbasi, Project Director, NIC.

“NIC ‘s vision is to help young people in startups and business development which is not possible without private intervention. NIC welcomes Huawei and hopes to build a relation with startups in terms of IT and communication” — Parvez Abbasi-Project Director The panel discussed the potential and opportunities that cloud services have to offer. As a startup, investing in hardware is not an option in most cases. Cloud is a natural choice, to facilitate startups. Huawei is introducing cloud connect as a CSR, to invest back in the society and for uplifting the society technology wise.

Mr. Hank Shao elaborates that cloud connect is an innovation that helps startups to focus on their business. During this booming era of software industry and entrepreneur, the business needs to reach customers as soon as possible. Cloud connect provides a new pool of customers and services without any boundaries to its users.

SLOSH being a health-Tech startup in Pakistan, brought attention to the challenges faced by IT or digital innovators in Pakistan as there is no direct representation to resolve issues in real time. As well as trainings for the cloudification of startups. To which Huawei Cloud Connect can now act as a provider.

“These facilities, incubation centers all over Pakistan are playing a tremendous role in building a knowledge based economy. Such initiatives are the only way to create jobs and move forward with the legacy thinking we have in mind”– Shahzad Rasheed, CEO, Huawei cloud Pakistan Mr. Shaukat Ali -CTO-PSEB, explained how Pakistan has recently signed six cloud services to create a platform where any IT company can get services in affordable prices. He also discussed lack of awareness on potential of cloud services and arrangement of subsidized training courses for a comprehensive eco systems.

Mr. Farhan Ali, Director Huawei cloud Eco-System & Solutions, shed a light on the global footprint and offering by Huawei spark program for startups. Huawei cloud Spark Program is a global support program. Huawei cloud works with partners, venture capital, and governments to enable startups to help and accelerate their business development. Huawei cloud deals with more than 220 plus services sufficient to a variety of verticals, which gives its users a whole new market to innovate and come up with solutions.

“NIC Islamabad took this initiative to launch Huawei cloud connect, IGNITE is focused on promoting innovation and entrepreneurs in Pakistan. 2021 has been remarkable for Pakistani startups, 376-million-dollar worth of investment came to Pakistan.”—Asim Shehryar-CEO-IGNITE.

The event was concluded with distribution of shields as a symbol to strengthen the NIC startup bond with Huawei. NIC is optimistic on its plans for a flourishing ecosystem for entrepreneurs / Startups and Huawei cloud connect will only take this to new heights.

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ISLAMABAD, DEC 31: Pakistan’s cellular and digital services leader, Zong 4G, has entered into a partnership with DHA Bahawalpur to power the latter with its best-in-class 4G connectivity.

With over 14000 towers Zong 4G, Pakistan’s widest data network company, is equipped to provide the best communication services and customized solutions for the development of current and future residential developments. 

Under the agreement, Zong 4G will provide complete network coverage in DHA Bahawalpur. Zong will also play a key role in future digital developments with its innovative ESS solutions towards Smart Homes for DHA Bahawalpur.

“We’re pleased to have joined hands with DHA Bahawalpur to effectively meet the project’s connectivity needs,” shared Zong’s official spokesperson. “Our partnership with DHA will enable the residents to access our best-in-class 4G services with an unmatched digital experience. ”

“Joining hands with the country’s leading cellular and digital services provider is a major step towards the development of this mega project,” shared Brig Basharat Ali, Project Director, DHA Bahawalpur. 

“The partnership gives us the confidence that we are offering our residents the best of connectivity they can have in and around the premises.”

DHA Bahawalpur is a leading lifestyle value addition at the important junction of Punjab, Sindh, and Balochistan. 

The project is contouring the concept of premier community lifestyle and has become the epitome of developing and creating residencies and communities for the diverse populous.

Zong 4G is working directly with corporate clients across the country to develop a digital environment for them, bringing bespoke solutions to disrupt everyday processes, and new techniques to solve both basic and complicated issues. 

Through an extensive Business Solutions portfolio, Zong 4G aspires to reinvent how businesses operate, having an overall impact on the corporate ecosystem in Pakistan.  

Its unrivalled technological advancement and telecommunications experience has been a harbinger in developing these wide-ranging business solutions.

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Karachi, DEC 30: Huawei Technologies Pakistan and Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) launched the PTCL-Huawei Managed CloudCampus Solution with which enterprises will be empowered to run critical applications with complete security and ensured data privacy at their disposal. 

Not only so, enhanced performance will be delivered with higher capacity bandwidth, network visibility, and a seamless on-ramp to the cloud with significant application performance. 

The event was attended by Mr. Zarrar Khan, the group CBSO of PTCL Business Solutions, Mr. Faisal Anwar, CIO, UBL, Mr. Azeem Siddiqui, Head of IT, OneLink, Mr. Salman Ali, CIO, Soneri Bank, Mr. Zeeshan Kaiser, CIO, Samba Bank, Mr. Adnan Siddiqui, CIO, BankIslami, Mr. Gao Weiji, Managing Director, Huawei Enterprises, Mr. Shahzad Rasheed, CEO Huawei Cloud, along with senior management from both organizations. 

Recently, the two organizations signed a strategic MOU for Learning Development collaboration that aimed to strengthen their partnership for learning and development of individuals. It paved the way for transformational journey through enhancing resources competitiveness. With learning and development programs in place, PTCL and Huawei continued the planned partnership model in preparation for the emerging technologies adoption and challenges of digital transformation.

This is a first-of-its-kind intelligent network automation Cloud platform that not only integrates management, but also controls and analyzes functions, along with providing a complete life cycle automation of enterprise networks that implements intelligent fault closure through big data analytics. This solution consists of services like: AI-Enabled WIFI-6 Campus, Software Defined LAN as well as Software defined WAN (SD-WAN). The infrastructure of these services employs PTCL’s industry-proven connectivity, capacity and Data Center infrastructure with Huawei’s next-generation autonomous driving network management and control system Cloud platform for enterprise networks.

Speaking at the occasion, Zarrar Hasham Khan, Group Chief Business Solutions Officer, PTCL & Ufone, said, “Pakistan is undergoing a digital transformation, and PTCL, as the national carrier will make sure that we’re playing our role. This event is part of a series of steps that we are taking with different products, but with the same goal to provide convenience to our customers.”

Mr. Gao spoke at the event, “I believe this is a new chapter of cooperation and I look forward to seeing more and more achievements as PTCL and Huawei go forth hand in hand. We’ll continue to work together, we all need to place the improvement of digital skills high on our agenda and tackle the challenges facing governments, enterprises, and even technology firms themselves to be able to bring the benefits of digitization to more people, homes, and organizations than ever before.”

Mr. Shahzad Rasheed reaffirmed the sentiment, stating, “Huawei is the number 1 IT leader in Pakistan, both in terms of installments and revenue. Under the leadership of Mr. Zarrar I have zero doubt that success is near, this partnership can do miracles. We have to believe in this relationship and execute it.”

As part of their mission to bild a fully connected and intelligent world, Huawei and PTCL are always aiming to contribute to digital empowerment to help realize the vision of Digital Pakistan.

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ISLAMABAD, DEC 30: Healthwire, a health-tech startup and operator of one of the largest horizontally integrated ecosystem of healthcare service providers in Pakistan, has closed $3.3 Million in funding. The round drew participation from 47 Ventures, Habib Bank Limited, Dilsons Private Limited and angel investors from Silicon Valley.  

Healthwire was founded by Hamza Iqbal, a LUMS graduate, with a vision to make access to quality healthcare accessible and affordable for every citizen of Pakistan. Since its inception, Healthwire has been singularly focused on digitizing the operations of doctors, clinics, hospitals, labs and pharmacies and now boasts the largest and most widely integrated platform of thousands of health care service providers in over 60 cities of Pakistan.

In a statement, co-founder and CTO of Healthwire, Muhammad Nabeel said “The patient-doctor interaction is the point where the whole healthcare ecosystem converges. By having this interaction on our health-tech platform, we can ensure that quality healthcare is accessible to patients in the remotest areas of the country. The economies of scale of the tech platform allow us to ensure that this access is affordable and inclusive. 

Khurram Zafar, Managing Director of 47 Ventures, and a seed investor in Healthwire said, "We are excited to be doubling down on one of the stars in our portfolio. The growth and momentum that Healthwire has built even during the tough COVID period is a testament to the strength and resilience of the team. It is destined to become the health tech leader of Pakistan." 

Sagheer Mufti, COO at HBL, commenting on the occasion said: “HBL is excited to invest in Healthwire, as it is an integrated healthcare digital platform. It will ease the customer journey and improve quality of healthcare, particularly multiple healthcare providers. Through provision of embedded banking services, to providers like hospitals, clinics, labs, health insurance providers and pharmacies will be able to serve, patients more effectively. HBL and Healthwire partnership seeks to expand access to quality and convenient healthcare in Pakistan. With the Healthwire investment. and collaboration, digital financial inclusion will be widened, reaffirming HBL's commitment to be a technology company with a banking license.”

Healthwire, building upon its strong presence in the healthcare service provider ecosystem, has now deployed a web and mobile application for patients to connect with those service providers. The platform is already connecting over 10,000 patients with doctors every single day.  The startup intends to use the funding to further fuel its growth and become the healthcare super app of Pakistan.

Hassan Sheikh, Director at Dilsons Private Limited while commenting on their investment in Healthwire said: “Dilsons strategy to invest in Digital Healthcare fits well with integrated solution provider Healthwire. This gives us an opportunity to be part of Digital Health ecosystem which will shape the future of health tech. This partnership will enable us to be a part of Pakistan’s leading digital healthcare platform for disease management with strong capabilities and eventually leading to better healthcare outcomes for patients.”

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ISLAMABAD, DEC 29: Yusaeid Foundation, the Welfare NGO operated by AAA Associates under its Corporate Social Responsibility Program, distributed wheelchairs among people with disabilities. 

The ceremony was conducted at AAA Associates’ Head Office, phase 7, Bahria Town, Rawalpindi. AAA Associates has been empowering individuals, families, and communities through Yusaeid and considers it as a primary objective. 

AAA Associates under its’ NGO Yusaeid has been involved in charity work and donated profusely in the past.

A few days ago, an event of similar nature was conducted at Layyah in collaboration with Saaya Association, and the Hands and Social Welfare Department. 

Chairman AAA Associates and Yusaeid Foundation Sheikh Fawad Bashir, while talking to the press, emphasized the need of contributing to society through charitable work. 

He further said, "As a philanthropist, I believe we all have to give back what we take from nature or society. Corporate Social Responsibility should be inculcated as it plays a critical part in developing society, improving communities. " 

MD AAA Associates and Yusaeid Foundation Lt. Col (R) Shahzad Ali Kiani also weighted on contributing to the society and said that "The importance of social work lies in its aim to confront social issues in all facets of life - from providing the one-on-one support of family welfare to shaping legislative policies that eradicate systemic injustices. 

Yusaeid is dedicated to humanitarian services, and aims to use philanthropy to build a world where everyone has equal access to the basic needs of life." 

Yusaeid Foundation is one of the leading non-profit organizations in Pakistan, entirely dedicated to humanitarian services since 2014. 

It provides assistance to people and communities in need and is committed to improving educational support, eliminating hunger by running food programs, empowering youth, Inclusiveness empowerment, and health care services among all the communities.

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Karachi, DEC 28: Chairman Bros Japan Rehan Ali Khan said that we are keen to enhance relations between Pakistan and Japan.  In this regard, the promotion of sports including cricket can further strengthen the relationship. 

He expressed these views at a function held at the Expo Center, Karachi. He was accompanied by Syed Danish, Omar Khalid, and Shehzad while special guests of the event were Rauf Ibrahim and Naveed Qamar.

The event marked the unveiling of the Karachi Tapeball Premier League franchise North Nawab, which will start on January 1 at the Asghar Ali Shah Stadium.

Bros Japan franchise owner Rehan Ali further said that he will bring out talent from other cities including Karachi for which he will soon promote International Tape Ball Premier League from Karachi and organize International Tape Ball Championship.

The official anthem of the franchise was also released at the ceremony held at Karachi Expo Center. The anthem included the Japanese language along with Urdu. Later, there was a musical concert and a spectacular fireworks display.

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• Celebration in Shangrila City - The new identity of Scheme 45 largest society Karachi

Karachi, DEC 28: Aimal Developers CEO Mr. Afzal Hameed fulfilled his promise to his clients and laid the foundation stone of the mosque and park along with the inauguration ceremony of the site office on December 25, 2021. 

Afzal Hameed said that we are planning on the emerging Karachi style where every basic amenities, attention to the people, and new lifestyle items for the betterment of the environment are also part of our scheme.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Kashan Siddiqui, CEO, Al-Meeraj Marketing, said that this evening is in the name of every hard-working dealer and sub-dealer. He further said that due to unemployment in Karachi people are forced to commit suicide. 

Encouraging unemployed people, he opened the doors of Al-Miraj Marketing to all those who are worried about unemployment. 

Addressing all the big companies, Kashan Siddiqui said that they should provide employment to others so that none of our brothers would lose life tomorrow. He concluded the event by thanked each and every guest and distributed shields among dealers, sub-dealers and sales team towards the end of the event.

This 5 year project includes a secured boundary wall gated society with multiple facilities. There is a theme park for children to enjoy and have wonderful time with their families. 

Further more, there is a school where your children can get quality education and in case of any emergency or mishap, you can avail quality treatment with advance equipment placed at the community hospital. 

There is a Jama Mosque situated in the society. To cater the sports & fitness lovers, we are building gym and a cricket ground which is a add-on in our society. 

This will be the second largest housing society in Karachi after Bahria Town.

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ISLAMABAD, DEC 28: This year marked the sixth iteration of the Huawei ICT Middle East Competition in collaboration with the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan. The competition is a Huawei annual ICT initiative, designed to nurture global ICT talent. 

On 23rd December, winners were announced and Pakistan’s team one consisting of Sateesh Kumar, Iqra Fatima, and Bhagchand Meghwar along with their instructor Dr. Faheem Khuhawar Instructor won 1st prize of 20,000 USD. 

Not only so, the 2nd prize was also grabbed by Pakistan’s team two consisting of Hafiz Rizwan, Adnan Ali, and Mukhtar Memon along with their instructor. Team Jordan won the third prize of the competition. 

This year, the final round of the competition witnessed participation of 11 teams from countries covering the entire Middle East Region. Over the month of October, Huawei’s Talent Ecosystem team carried out multiple roadshows at more than 134 universities, hitting a registration number of 10,150 candidates. 

The Preliminary Round of the competition was initially conducted, carried out through both online and onsite examinations that 3000 students STEM students nominated by HEC undertook. All Government-issued SOP’s were followed for the onsite exams. 

The National Finals consisted of the top 500 students, who all had all participated in the enablement trainings prior to the finals. Interviews were taken of the top 50 students to test their skills and expertise from which 8 top students were shortlisted for Regional training.

The next phase of the competition followed further interviews and lab tasks. 8 students were interviewed after regional training and the top 6 qualified for Regional Exam which was scheduled to be held in Saudi Arabia. The top 6 students made it to the next round. Regional Finals were conducted from 21st – 23rd Dec in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Dr. Faheem stated, ““Pakistan team outclassed in every step of selection process and won the first and second prize in the grand final in Riyadh, excelling in all categories such as routing and switching, security, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, 5G and Wireless LAN.”

Fatima from Team One said, “Every team consists of three members and was given a task to demonstrate their skill in the lab. We were assigned to make protocols to make Wi-Fi connections more secure. We completed it with the best security solutions and won first prize with $20,000 cash reward thanks to the trainings given to us by Huawei.”

Meghwar, who was born in Tharparkar, Sindh, exclaimed, “I come from a village where there aren’t a lot of resources on hand, so it is like a dream for me to win such a prestigious competition.”

In a Twitter post, the Pakistani embassy in Riyadh congratulated both the winning teams. The trainers of both Pakistani teams received excellent tutor awards as well.

The competition has always been well received in Pakistan as it promotes innovation and creativity while serving as a link between the classroom and the professional workplace. By nurturing university students’ talent in Pakistan, it also contributes to increasing national ICT competitiveness while enhancing digital transformation efforts.

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ISLAMABAD, DEC 27: Pakistan’s cellular and digital services frontrunner, Zong 4G collaborated with HANDS to launch a tree plantation drive in the megacity of Karachi. The move is part of the company’s environmental sustainability efforts to combat air pollution in the country.

HANDS is one of the leading non-profit organizations in Pakistan working towards improving health, promoting education, alleviating poverty, building infrastructure, and developing social institutions for community empowerment. HANDS’ strength is 13 volunteer board members, 10,000 workforce and thousands of community-based volunteers of more than 6,300 partner organizations.

In a bid to fight the lack of trees in the city, Zong’s volunteers from the Karachi region participated alongside the children of HANDS School, Karachi to plant trees across different areas of the city.

“We realize that the city of Karachi has an unfortunate dearth of trees, a serious problem that needs urgent addressing. This collaboration with HANDS is a testament of Zong’s passionate commitment to environmental sustainability and creating a positive impact on the city’s environment.” shared Zong’s official spokesperson.

Also sharing his thoughts, Shaikh Maaz Tanveer, Head of Communication and Natural Resource Management Department, HANDS Pakistan, said, “We’re happy and excited to have collaborated with Pakistan’s telecom leader for the tree plantation drive in Karachi. 

We share the goal of fighting the adverse effects of climate change in Pakistan with Zong, and are confident that our volunteers will put in the best of their efforts to make this drive a success.”

Besides leading the digital transformation in the country, Zong is also leading the CSR front in the ICT industry. The brand stays committed to social empowerment and preservation of the environment, creating a better tomorrow for the younger generations.

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